TWO REMARKABLE BOOKS
David
Murgatroyd, The Shadow of the Golden Fire, Large format 32cm x 25cm 384pp Case is padded full leather
on hardboards, ornate dentil blocked decoration (probably the case from an old
Bible, to which has been added two ornate brass hinges to front cover, two
ornate (and very substantial) corner protectors, a substantial brass lock
(missing key), brass monogram on centre of board around which a pentagram has
been drawn with five dress jewels affixed. Spine has additional metal
decoration and two dress jewels affixed.
Decorated
endpapers, orange printed in black to reveal Baphomet type figures with
alchemical hermaphrodite on reverse.
The
illustrated title page implies book was magically received and has visual
reference to the famous megalithic swastika stone on Ilkley Moor. Curiously,
the direction of the swastika has been reversed though, co-incidentally, Rudolf
Steiner considered the astral nature of this swastika to be the opposite of its
physically manifest form. Reverse has illustration titled “The Lands of the
Dragon” and is probably a rendition of the illustration of the same name made
by David Lund, the head of The Society of Dew, which was based in Ilkley
towards the end of the 19th Century and issued the original Lamp of
Thoth magazine, the title being copied by Chris Bray of Sorcerer’s Apprentice
occult bookshop in Leeds for his journal. Keighly public library had the only
known copy of this map of occult centres in the region, but it was stolen or lost.
A short
piece concerning Lund can be found here: -
http://goldendawnbradford.blogspot.com/2010/01/society-of-dew-and-light.html
Each page
has broad border featuring dragons, green man, demonic and mythical beast
vignettes are often hand coloured. Within the boarder each page has photocopied
handwritten text, often with small illustration to left corner usually a Goetic
or other sigil. The handwriting that has been reproduced is, at all times, very
legible. About a dozen pages, the border has been reproduced, but the actual
text is handwritten – not copied. The book appears to have been created from
various manuscript sources using an early form of photocopying, however there
is none of the fading or the special paper that cursed some of those processes.
The only issue is slight offsetting, but this is unobtrusive and suggests that
only one copy was generated.
The content
of the book consists of the following texts: -
The Book
of Fires, by Marcus Greacus.
This is an historic text that
is still awkward to obtain. It gives three recipes for Greek fire and one for black
powder, plus numerous others for fiery weapons, illusions and devices.
The Book
of Gold of Henry 9th Baron of Clifford
This
alchemical text is otherwise unknown, perhaps formulated by David Murgatroyd.
Initially it appears to be a description of physical alchemy before apparently
describing sexual magick principles
Compendium
of Unnatural Black Magic, containing citations and Bonds of Diverse Spirits
Attributed
to Michael Scot, Prague in Bohemia 1261
Otherwise
unknown grimoire, with hand coloured sigils and lists of words of Power.
Perhaps created by David Murgatroyd.
Magical
Suffumations and their Wonderful Efficacy
Describes
ritual use of incenses, giving numerous recipes.
Various
spells and ritual herbal recipes for creation of Homunculi, also a number of
recipes for Elixir of Life and flying ointments, seeing spirits, poisons and so
forth. Some very dark, also occasionally drug orientated. These numerous
recipes and rituals are evidently drawn from a variety of real sources and
recorded in a manner that does justice to the magical glamours expressed.
Mansions
of the Moon, this section being handwritten, rather than copied.
Library,
(an interesting list of magical books).
The last page is inscribed “D.M. made me”
David
Murgatroyd maintained that he had the spell book of his ancestor, Daniel, referred
to in this documentary. Presumably he desired that this item be considered a
version of it. David was in contact with various Northern magicians such as
Chris Bray and Ray Sherwin and died in the early 1980’s. This item appears to
have been made in the 1970s.
This book
is, truly, a work of mystery. At it’s least mysterious; it might be considered
the creation of a remarkable and enigmatic modern magician who, behind the
scenes, was influential upon certain vectors of modern occultism. This item is
evidence that the tradition of grimoire creation was thriving in West Yorkshire
forty or so years ago and also records real esoteric and occult lore in a veil
of glamours that is a true descendent of earlier generations of magicians and
grimoire creators. It may be that beyond this, direct magical traditions,
perhaps of some hereditary craft, (which is what David Murgatroyd claimed) may
inform this work. If it is, largely, a creation of David Murgatroyd but
containing much traditional material, then it is a considerable mystery as to
from where he derived the confidence and panache to create a grimoire in this
manner.
Order
Reference DM01 UK Pounds 1200 plus
postage and insurance at cost
Anon
(David Murgatroyd), Handwritten Magical Notebook, Limp leather binding with
coloured leather corners, a strap that held the book closed (loop that received
it on back cover. Raised bands, front cover has two waxed seals, one heraldic
(shield with hands) the over has impression from a magical talisman (somewhat
chipped), 22cm x 17cm, 100 leaves.
Front pastedown has hand drawn copy of
magical diagram that appears as the Frontispiece to Hartmann’s Magic White and Black
plus occult poem and cut out of dragon and demon.
Handwriting
throughout is in capitals and is easily legible. Probably compiled by David
Murgatroyd and another. It is very difficult with capitals but there does
appear to be two hands a pencilled annotation “David have we got this” suggests
another person’s involvement. Some of the material was clearly recorded in
another format and has been cut to be bound into this work.
The
contents, as times, are very dark. It collects four flying ointment recipes,
some traditional healing recipes. A number of poisons, being part magical and
part utilising poisonous herbs etc. Some have been translated from Italian, a
good deal of magical herb lore, mostly British but some Amazonian. Some
discussion of Thelemic Cakes of Light, the “Crowley Mass” is very dark,
involving actual sacrifice of a child. Crowley’s recipe for Ruthah is given,
with original detail concerning its practical use. The invocation of the Devil
is, likewise, very extreme and transgressive, influenced by the Red Dragon it
involves actual human sacrifice. A ritual to make oneself a werewolf is
substantial and imaginative Love philtre and a ritual to attract spiders are
grim. Many recipes appear to be authentic records of actual witchcraft
practice. There are also recipes for disguises, such as false sores for begging
or to avoid military service. Plus also chemical tricks, some of which use
proprietary products of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
There is
considerable wear to the pages with occasional loss. In fact the pages appear
surprisingly aged.
Order
Reference DM02 UK Pounds 750 plus
postage at cost
These
items have been a joy to catalogue, but are strangely difficult to categorise.
Should they be identified as artefacts of Traditional, or Hereditary
witchcraft? Concerning the term “Traditional”, this can be used to refer to
specific “who taught whom” vectors that have emerging into public eye through
the work of Robert Cochcrane, the Cultus Sabbati and others. There is nothing
to suggest that David Murgatroyd was party to these vectors. However, if the
term is applied more loosely, to mean non-wiccan witchcraft of a certain age,
then the only question is if that “certain age” is more than 30 years ago. If
so, then these items are certainly artefacts of Traditional witchcraft, and
anyway include far older data. Some might feel that there has to be an act of
personal communication involved, a person cannot may not acquire information
from books, express it as witchcraft and it be considered a Traditional Witch.
We do not know what did incline David Murgatroyd towards witchcraft, what
communication may have been involved. Much of the material recorded in the
items is from books, but much is not. Moreover, in the field of magic and
witchcraft, the imagination is usually far more important than material data
and physical events. David Murgatroyd stated that the Shadow of the Golden
Fire book came from his ancestor Daniel Murgatroyd, via David Lund
through a remarkable coincidence in the physical plain, which I do not believe.
He clearly had a very flexible relationship with reality. That his imagination was fired by knowledge
of a sorcerous ancestor is certain, that these works are manifestations of the mind
spaces of witchcraft and magic is definitely true and are certainly instructive
as to the nature of witchcraft traditions, including their darker aspects.
